Improvement in spoke-dressing machines



3 SheetsSl1eet l J. L. BROWN: Spoke Dressing Machine. No. 201,592..vPatented March 26, 1878.

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v J. L. BROWN. Spoke Dressing Machine. No. 201,592. PatentedMarch-26,1878.

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Patented March 26, I878.

Spoke Dressing Machine. No. 201,592.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'JAcoB BROWN, OF AMESBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO RIcHARn F. BRIGGS,OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPOKE-DRESSING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 201,592, dated March26, 1878; application filed December 22, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB L. BRowN, of Amesbury, in the county of Essexand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful or ImprovedMachine for Dressing the Tenons and Forming the Face of Carriage-Spokes, of which invention the following is a specification Thisinvention has for its object, first, to reduce the tenon in'its width tothe exact form it should possess for driving into the mortise in thehub; and, second, to outline or dress the face of the spoke to the exactcontour of outline which it should possess, so that each spoke in theset shall be an exact duplicate of every other such spoke.

The invention consists in a machine embodyin g a pair of horizontalrotary cutters, one of which is automatically adjustable relatively tothe other, and both so arranged that "as the spoke passes between themthe fixed cutter shall cut away the surplus of the tenonedge at thefront of the spoke, while the adjustable cutter cuts away thesurplusmaterial of the back of the spoke-tenon, so as to give it therequisite draft or taper for setting in the hub.

It also consists in a pair of vertical rotary cutters, the boxes inwhich both the upper and lower ends of the arbors of said cutters arejournaled being laterally adjustable, so that said cutters may be movedapart or toward each other, either in parallel lines, or may be widerapart at bottom or top, as may be desired, when trimming and outliningthe face of the spoke, which is the result effected by these cutters.

- It further consists in a frame arranged to be reciprocated'horizontally in fixed ways transversely to the axial line of thecutters, said frame having aflixed to it adjustable shaping-guides,which vertically adjust the upper horizontal cutter, so that it cuts theback edge of the spoke-tenon at the required angle or taper, as beforespecified. Said frame also carries upper and lower shaping bars orguides, which respectively and independently adjust the upper and lowerends of the arbors of the vertical cutters, and thereby determine theoutline and form of the spoketion as taken through the axial line of thespoke when in position to be acted upon in and by the machine. Fig. 5 isa horizontal section taken through the machine in the axial line of thespoke when in position to be acted on. Fig.6 is an enlarged section,showing the spoke near its tenon-shoulder in transverse section, and thevertical cutters in longitudinal section. Fig.7 is a section similar toFig. 6, but taken on line A B, Fig. 9. Fig. 8 is a section similar toFig. 6, but taken on line C D, Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a front view of aportion of a spoke, and showing the face thereof. Fig. 10 is a side viewof the same portion of a spoke.

In these figures, E E represent the side frames, which are preferablyformed of castiron, and in such form as will subserve the purpose ofsecuring and sustaining the other constituent parts in their properpositions. a is the arbor of the lower horizontal cutter. This arbor isjournaled in boxes 1 1, which are secured in side frames E, as shown. I)I) represent the arbor of the upper horizontal cutter. This arbor isjournaled in boxes 2 2, also secured in frames E. These arbors arerespectively rotated by a belt acting on the pulleys c d, secured uponthe shafts, as shown.

F F are the respective cutter-heads of arbors a b, and the cutters e e ee are secured on these heads in the usual manner, as shown. The boxes 22 of the upper arbor are provided with verticaladjustment, (by means tobe described,) and the space 3 (shown in Fig. 4) indicates a passage inframes E for such movement of these boxes. H H are two vertical arbors,which are rotated by means of belts acting on pulleys g g, respectivelysecured on these arbors. The heads G G, respectively secured upon orformed with these arbors, are

provided with cutters f f f f, as shown. Both the upper and lower endsof these cutters or arbors are journaled in boxes Z l, which are pivotedin laterally-sliding holders k k, as shown in Fig. 1, these holdersbeing arranged to slide in longitudinal passages in the bars 1) r, inthe former of which the lower and in the latter the upper holders slidewhen they are so laterally adjusted by the means to be described. h h hit constitute the end of the said sliding frame, as shown in Fig. 2. 71.h h" h constitute the opposite end of said frame, as shown in Fig. 3. Tothe vertical members of these ends, on each side, is connected one ofthe guide-bars 'i and t, which slide between ways upon frames E E,plainly shown in said Figs. 2 and 8.

To the top members h and 705 of these ends are secured the shaping-barsI I, the outer edges of which are in contact with the sliding holders 70k, in which the upper boxes of the vertical arbors H are pivoted. To thelower members It and h of said ends are secured the shaping-bars J J,which act between the lower holders k 70 of the vertical shafts in thesame manner as the bars I I act upon the upper holders Two bow-springs,a n, acting at one of their ends against the lower holders k k, serve tokeep-them in contact with bars J J, while similar springs o o serve tokeep the upper holders in contact with bars I I as the same are slidbackward and forward by the sliding frame.

It will be observed that the outer edges of the two bars J are formedalike, and with an irregularly-curved outline, and the same is true ofbars I; but the two pairs are unlike in their curve; hence, as the frameis slid back and forth, the vertical cutters will not only be varied intheir distance apart, but while they will be parallel at starting, theywill be oblique to each other in varying degrees as the frame advances,in order to give to the spoke-face the form to be described.

In Figs. 4 and 5, t represents a short arm, supported by bar 0, which isconnected with the sliding frame, as shown in Fig. 5. This arm receivesthe spoke-tenon in a recess fitted to hold it firmly while being dressedby the cutters. u is the adjusting-finger, which is supported by thetransverse bar 11, secured to sides E, and is so adjusted verticallythat when the face a of the spoke rests upon it, (as the spoke is seatedin the holder t,) it (the spoke) shall be in the proper positionrelatively to the lower horizontal cutter, so that said cutter shalldress the edge of the tenon to an exact prolongation of such face-lineof the spoke. When the tenon of the spoke is thus seated in arm 1, theopposite or top end of the spoke is laid in a holding-block formed orsecured upon transverse bar to, as shown, and the spoke is held firmlyin positionby brake 2, which is pivoted to the link 3 pivoted in aprojection of bar to. The rear end of this brake bears against arigidprojection, x, which thereby prevents end motion of the spoke when beingacted upon by the cutters, and by this means the otherwise necessarydirect end support of the spoke when being dressed is avoided, as thebrake is held in position by the projection a", and thereby prevents endmotion of the spoke.

The upper horizontal cutter is adjusted automatically to cut the backedge of the tenon by the guides j j, which are secured to the side bars1' t" of the traveling frame, so that they pass under the shaft or boxesof this cutter coincident with the cutting action upon the tenon, andthereby cause the cutter to impart to the tenon a taper corresponding tothe upper edges of such slides.

It may be proper to observe that the spokelathe, in which the spokes arefirst formed, does not and cannot finish either the edges of the tenonor the face of the spoke to the exact form required, the surplusmaterial of the tenon being shown by the dotted lines in Fig.

10, and the contour of the finished face being shown in Figs. 6 to 10.

By the proper forms of bars IJ the vertical cutters are parallel witheach other when the spoke enters between them, and therefore the body ofthe spoke at the shoulder will be cut in parallel lines, as shown inFig. 6; but by the relative curves of the upper and lower shaping-barsthe lower ends'of these cutters will approach each other more rapidlythan the upper ends, or while the lower ends thus approach the upperends may recede from each other, and hence the face of the spoke can andwill be cut in both a curved and constantly-converging direction, asshown in Fig.

9, and the body of the spoke may be, as shown, diminished from theshoulder upward for a short distance, in order to give it thatappearance of lightness which is desirable.

By varying the configuration of the shaping bars, any desired curve offace may be imparted to the spoke, and by reason of the independentaction of both the upper and lower ends of the vertical arbors anydesired curves of a simple or compound nature may becut, either inconnection with or independent of the horizontal cutters.

The spoke-carrying frame may be moved I back and forth, either by handor by a rack and pinion operated by a crank on the pinionshaft, or byany'other means operated by hand or power.

I claim as my invention- 1. In combination with the fixed andvertitically-adjustable parallel rotary cutters, the carrying-frame, asprovided with the forked spoke-tenon holder t, the brake z, and the shapingguides j j, for adjusting the upper roller to the required form ofthe spoke-tenon, substantially as described and shown.

2. In combination with the spoke-carrying frame provided with itsadjusting-bars I J, the laterally-adjustable vertical cutters,substantially as described and shown.

3. In combination with suitable adjusting devices, constructedsubstantially as described,

two rotary cutters, each provided with and susceptible of adjustment ateither end independent of the other end of such cutter-bar, or of theother cutter, substantially as described and shown.

4:. In a spokedressing machine, and in combination with thespoke-carrying frame, the forked spoke-tenon holder tand theVerticallyadjusting finger w, substantially as described and shown.

